The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1887-09-22
Indian Medicine Camps,

HOW THEY ARE FORMED AND OPERATED IN
BUSINESS WAY.
| New York Medical Society has investiyat-
| ed the subject of fakir doctors, as those prac-
tisers of medicine are called who travel with
the Indian camps. They are rarely licensed
| physicians, and the idea now is to save the
| country from their unskilled operations. 1t is
| found that over Il hundred camps are being
| lifted out from three concerns in this city
| for the ensuing season. In country towns,
| the fences, horse sheds and barn doors will
| bloom In the spring with gaudy 32-sheet
| posters, representing the kickapoo indians
| preparing over camp fires their wonderful
| herb medicines that cure all ills, and travel
| ling troupes of fakirs will pitch their tents on
the green, give free Wild West shows. lure
| the alling cOuntrymen, and thus get within
| reach of the gifted lecturer, who eXpounds
the merits OF the nostrums. Preparations for
| the patent medicine campaign are being made
in the top story of a building in West street,
anu fellows glib of tongue, knowing just
| enough about medicine to be unable to pass
| an examination, are being hired to travel as
| takers with the shows. Fifty separate Kick
apoo companies are thus being fitted out. each
| to consist of six genuine Indians. four white
| performers or fakirs and one billpoSter, all
| under the management of medicine lecturer.
| The outfit consists of stage. dressing room
| and doctors tents. Indian tepees boxes of fire
| works, pamphlets, circulars and books of as
LouhuihS Hctiol ABOUT the wonderful medical
| discoveries of the kckapooS who are pictured
in the act Of boiling herbs. In the loft of the big
| building laboratory is running full blast, turn
| ing out kickapoo remedies by the hog>h >heaG,
| but as the noble kickapoo of the 32-Sheet poster
| cannot stand the New York climate in the
winter his services are dispensed with. and
| plain, ordinary white men are boiling the herbs
| by steam In one corner of the loft cOnical
canvas tents are stretched by ropes from the
| rafters, and man walks about with il pot Of
paint and big brush decorating them with
| rude aboriginal art. These will be Indian tepees,
warranted genuine from Kickapoo land. liang-
| ing from the walls are camp kettles, small
water casks painted by the same artist who
does the tepees, highly colored posters. govern
| ment blankets of various hues, tomahawks, head
are piled boxes of bottled medicine prepared by
| the white kickapoos in the laboratory. In the
managers offices, Indian curios are profusely
scattered around. Relies from the field of the
| Custer massacre, necklaces of grizzly claws,
Pauneem blankets, war clubs and qllvers of
| arrows are numerous, and the walls are covered
with colorcd plates showing the costumes of
various Indian tribes. There are photographs
too, of people who are. or have been, on the
| road with kickapoO companies--young men
with long hair and wide hats doing the scout
act as Mountain JimS, Colorado Cha rlicS, or
| Handsome llarrys; smooth shavcn gentlemen
| wearing tall hats in one picture. and burnt
cork and tlip-flap shoes in another: fakirs and
| HllilstfeIS OI all KINDS.
A man sits at Il desk and receives applica-
tions from lecturers, banjo PLAYERS, slight of
| liand men and tumbers. 1--WE want men who
| know how to talk and manage show, he
says: "Our lecturers and doctors need not
| have diplomas. They don't practice medicine,
but just talk up Indian remedies to the crowds.
| If a countryman comes in and says he is ailing,
the doctor sells him bottle of btters, or lini-
! ment, or box of Salve, and tells him that is
what he needs. Any man who has had experience
in lccturng for shows will do. lie can listen
| to one of our men a few times and pick up all
| that is necessary. We pay from Sl5 to S25
week and travelling expenses, but no board.
| In the summer, when the companies camp out,
| the white people can club together and live very
cheaply. The Indians have nothing to do but
| sing and dance, and that is fun for them. Most
| OF the time they lie around and smoke, and they
| enjoy lOafing. Where do we get our kickapOos?
Well. most of them are Pawnees from the
| reservation. although we have few Sioux. We
| get permission from the interior department to
| hire them, and the agent at the reservation
sends them to us. We are responsible for them,
and must send them back whenever they want
| to go home. 1t gives them chance to see civil
izcd life, and it is not very difficult to get them.
Once in while Pawnee gets honlesck as
as kickapoo with the show. and then we have
! to pay his fare back and lose money on him, but
generally they stay with us.
1.-The business is good one, because most
people, country people particularly, have no.
| tiOn that Indians must know the secrets of nat
urc, and can cure anything with herbs, and
| they will buy Indian medicines for that reason.
We send out Indians because they will always
draw crowds. The performers givea free show
to keep the crowds, and then the lecturers talk
medicine to them.'
! The least important qualification of Kcka-
poo Indian doctor, evidently, is a knowledge Of
medicine. All he needs is cheek, loquacity and
some acquaintance with the show business. If
he has cultivated long hair, and wears a SOM
| brero, his education is complete. Between
| Buffalo Bill and the patient medicine men, the
Indian problem seems likely to be solved with
out expense to the government. If good for
nothing else, the noble savage is first.rate ad-
vertisement, and it makes no difference to him
whether he is billed as Il Cheyenne to bury the
property hatchet. or as Kickapoo boiling
weeds. So long as he is not asked to work, it
| is all the same to him.